Range Rover Evoque gets 9-Speed auto ‘box

Land Rover are to fit a new 9-speed automatic gearbox from ZF to the 2014 Range Rover Evoque. Will show at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. There are some of us old enough to remember cars that had three-speed ‘boxes, and it only seems five minutes since five-speed manual ‘boxes became the norm.

Classic Lotus Cortina owner wins £5,000 fund

A LUCKY Lotus Cortina owner has won a £5,000 prize to make improvements and restorations to his car. Pete Shaw was awarded the prize by Footman James classic car insurance at last month’s Classic Motor Show. His beloved 1966 Mk1 Airflow Lotus Cortina had been entered into the competition with much-needed work on the cards.

Infographic: How much clay do Ford’s design studios use each year?

Ford has offered an insight into its clay modeling processes with a series of videos and an infographic that charts the process involved in turning a designer's sketch into a full-size model. The infographic uses data taken from all of Ford's global design studios in 2012 to give an idea of how much clay is used in a year, plus how much paint and di-noc film is used to cover each model. Ford has also released a video that gives a behind-the-scenes look at the firm's clay modeling studio in Merkenich, Germany, including interviews with members of the modeling team.